Being a woman in a man's world is not an issue for a pioneering local coach, Filoi Eneliko.

Enelko will spearhead Team Upolu's charge in the Lakapi Championship scheduled to kick-off on 6 November 2020 and will be assisted by Afa Hanipale and Manager is Quentin Tusa.

For some people, the thought of having a woman coach a men's team, especially in rugby, would be quite daunting. But for Eneliko, who has been involved in sports all her life, the opportunity is another window to extend her knowledge of what she loves to do.

 "My preparations are mainly focused on the aim of this tournament, which is to develop and build up individual players," she said. 

"For the Upolu team that I am coaching, there are lots of young players, and some of them are aiming to be in the Manuma, Junior Manu Samoa, and Manu Samoa too. And for me, I am there to help them reach those goals.

Eneliko believes that she has her work cut out for her, and she promises to give the role everything she has to ensure success.

Win or lose, she said her goal is to develop young players and help them reach their dreams.

"I have been working with boys team in secondary school which was with St Joseph's College, so I am used to coaching boys," she said. "However, this is a different level. It's the older boys, and this is a challenge for me. 

"For me, I am just focusing on developing the talents of these players and if we win a game, then that's a bonus for us."

The job ahead is not easy. Eneliko will up against other seasoned and more experienced men coaches.

Team Savaii for instance will be coached by Matamua Junior Salima, assisted by Sooalo Fono Pitoitua and managed by Su'a Hesed Ieremia. Team Savaii is made up of High Performance Players based in Savaii. 

Former Manu Samoa lock, Mailo Potu Leavasa is the Head Coach of Team Apolima. He will be assisted by Savaiinaea Gus Slade with the Team Manager being Fainuulelei James Ah Wai. 

Former Manu Samoa Sevens coach, Galumalemana Rudolf Moors, is leading Team Manono. He will be  assisted by Polamalama Chris Faaofo and their Manager is Mataafa Saeni Leatupue. 

"We are excited with the announcement of our four High-Performance coaches and management to lead our Lakapi Championship teams. We are confident in their ability to put together Samoa's best players that will feature in our inaugural Lakapi Championship," says Seumanu Douglas Ngau Chun, the General Manager for the High-Performance Unit (HPU).

"I always believe in the ability of our locals and this will be another career pathway for our local Coaches to aim to be involved in."

The four teams will play each other in a round-robin schedule for four weeks in November, and in the last week of the tournament, they will decide the winner. 

The High-Performance tournament will be used by the Manu Samoa Management and HP Management to select 75 players that will feature in the Lakapi Samoa Academy which is going to be run for 12 months. The players will be divided into three categories namely Elite, Emerging, and Developing, they will be exposed to top-quality coaching and mentoring from our Manu Samoa coaches and HP staff.

All players are eligible to represent Samoa in 2021 for our Manu Samoa, Manuma, and the Junior Manu Samoa.